IMPROV STUDIES

​Team Innovation“The skill of improvisation promotes a group’s capacity to be innovative (Vera & Crossan, 2005). Research by Burgert Kirsten at the University of Stellenbosch concluded that the “use of improvisational theatre exercises has a meaningful impact on climate for work group innovation. As such improvisational theatre becomes a team development tool that can be used to assist work teams in becoming more innovative. This is a contribution that is not only of importance in extending the body of knowledge in the field of team-building; it is also important for sound business practice, as greater innovation in work teams means greater innovation in companies, and innovative companies respond more effectively to the demands of an ever-changing world of work.” [4]

Real-Time Decision Making“Many of the skills taught in improv theater translate into making better crisis managers, since both improv actors and crisis managers must be able to think creatively and on their feet in a time crunch; accept input from teammates as relevant contributions; and focus on the task at hand while maintaining peripheral vision to catch new developments.” [3] A study conducted by E.W. Stein at Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, concluded that improvisation and Real Time Decision Making are inter-related concepts and contexts that share the delivery of performance. [5]

Shared Responsibility “Improvisation training involves the playing of theatre games designed to develop process skills such as listening and communication, context-specific knowledge, a perspective and a context that enables team members to leave their comfort zone, and techniques that promote agreement and develop shared responsibility in teams (Crossan, 1998). Therefore improvisational theatre exercises provide a context in which individuals can learn principles necessary for innovation experientially. Not only individuals are developed through playing, teams also grow, since bonds of communication are created between the playing members (Lowe, 2000). Furthermore, teams have also been shown to develop shared attitudes and behavioural patterns through experience (Pirola-Marlo et al., 2002). Therefore, it is argued that a work group that is exposed to an improvisational theatre training programme will not only learn skills that will help the individual to be more innovative, but will also create shared attitudes and behaviours that could benefit the group as a whole.’[4]

Shift Towards Shared Team Leadership As more companies use stable teams to organize their resources, teams are superseding individual roles as the resource unit for capacity planning.The traditional approach to resource management and capacity planning breaks down as companies rush to keep up with the accelerated pace of business. This calls for new concepts like decentralized decision making, faster feedback loops, reduced task-switching and ramp-up time for teams to become high-performing [17]

Culture as a Competitive EdgeA staggering number of companies—over 50 percent in this year’s survey—are currently attempting to change their culture in response to shifting talent markets and increased competition. In an era in which bad news travels instantaneously and an organization’s culture is both transparent and directly tied to its employment brand, great companies consciously cultivate and manage their culture, turning it into a competitive advantage in the marketplace. [16] In addition, the 2016 Workforce Purpose Index found that 85 percent of companies that were able to find ways to help their employees feel more purpose-driven saw positive growth in revenue. [18]